Circular loom



J. A. KENNEDY.

CIRCULAR LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.2,1916.

1,327,676. Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

7SHEETSSHEET I.

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J. A. KENNEDY.

I CIRCULAR LOOM. APPLICATYON'FILED FEB. 2,1916.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN VENTE; "JusEpl-i /A\ KENNE]II/ J. A. KENNEDY.

CIRCUtAR LO0M..

APPLICATION FILED FEB: 2, 1916.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920 7SHEETS-SHEET 4.

NEDy.

N v, E E MK N E W R v m Nm W I A JEIS .l. A. KENNEDY,

CIRCULAR LOOM. APPLICATION HLEQ FEB. 2, 191 6- 1,327,676. 'Patnted 12111.13, 1920.

IN [EN-F932? J A. KENNEDY.' CIRCULAR Lo'o mh APPLICATION FILED rEBLz, 1910.

FT L152" NN/E TE JUEE HAKENNEL my A'ITD NEyZ Patented Jan. 13,1926

J.A. KENNEDY. I

CIRCULARLOOM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21 ms.

7 SHEETSSHEET I.

I hR/ I: JclspH/kigwizmy Patented Jam 13,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT 1 orrrou.

JOSEPH A. KENNEDY, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNO R TO CHERNACK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PR TION OF RHODE ISLAND.

OVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORA- CIRCULAR LOOM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J QSEPI-I A. KENNEDY,

- a citizen of the United States, residing at I 920,728 granted May 4, 1909, and No. 1,088,-

061 granted February 24, 1914, respectively. The objects of the invention are to effect certain improvements in the loom by which. improved results are obtained in theway of 1 simplicity of construction,- efliciency of oper ation, and more rapid production, all. as more fully appears in the following specification and claims. In the drawings, Figure 1 is averticalcentral section of a loom. embodying many of the features-in which the present invention consists.

' "Fig. 2 is a plan view, with parts broken away, ofthe loomshown in Fig. l.

lo D for the heddles F ig. 3 is'a detail view partly in section showing the warp thread take 'up devices and stop motions and apart of the shuttle thread stop motion.

Fig. 4c is an elevation of the'stop motions\ shown in'Fig. 3. I

Fi 5 is an elevation of one of the guides or slides. 1 i Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the lowerend of. one such guideand a fragment of the connecting ring therefor.

. Fig. 7 is an elevation of one of the heddles or slides. i l

Fig. 8 represents two of the antifriction rolls carried by the heddles or slides.

Fig. 9 is a viewsimilar'to' Fig. 3 showing a modification in theconstruction of the heddles or slides of the 100111.

' Fig. 10 is a front elevation of two of the adjacent heddles represented in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a plan view of a section of thea specifi- Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Jan. 13,1920. Application filed February .2, 1816. Serial No. 75,865.

loom showing three of the adjacent heddles embodying the modification shown in Figs. 9and .10. i Fig. 12 'is a front elevation of the warp thread take-ups associated with the heddles represented in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. r

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view showing a development of the interior of the circular frame, indicating the operating cams, the

driving plates of the shuttles, and the alternately arranged guides and heddles'or slides.

Fig. '14; is a sectional View showing in detail a form ofmain clutch for transmittinfi driving power to the loom.

eference is firstmade to Figs. 1 and 2 I for a comprehensive view of the loom as a whole. ported upon legs 26 which are. adapted to rest on the floor of the mill. Resting solidly on the table is .a,cy lindrical casing 25 represents a bed or table sup- 1 ranged with an annularspace between thern into which project the lower ends of the heddles or slides 34, 35, and of guides 73 (later described) between the slides. Alternate slides, which are designated by the character 84 are operated by a groove 36 in the cam 32 (see also F ig. 13), while the intermediate slides designated 35, are operated by a groove 37 in'the cam Secured to the bottomv of the rotary cam wheel is an annularspur gear 37 which is driven by a gear 38 on an upright. shaft 39 which has a bearing in the machine base and is driven by bevel gearing 40, 41 from a main shaft 42,v

on which a ulley a3 is loosely inounted and a clutch 4% 1s fixed. I

One or' a number of shuttles 45 travel circularly about the axis of the casing 27, and

carry bobbins 46 of shuttle thread or filling, which is' interwoven with warp threads about a core .or mandrel 47 secured to the column 29, as clearlyshown in Fig.1.

The warp threads 48 pass from reels mountedpon a rack (not shown) beside the .loom, through a guidin eye l9, fixed in any convenientlocatlon, w ence they are dis tributed to take-up mechanisms consisting of links 50 and 51, spaced equally apart a top ring 54, and posts or Webs connect ing all three rings together. Secured to the top ring is a flange or shield 56 which overlies the sliding heddles and their guides.

A crossbar 57 rests on the shield 56 and is secured to the ring 5%. It crosses the center of the frame and supports a guide 58 through which the tubular web 59 woven on The lower end of the U the machine passes. guide 58 is tapered and terminates a short distance above a tapered or reduced part of the mandrel, leaving open a comparatively narrow zone at the weaving-point.

The tubularweb is'passed over a large wheel 60 which is rotated at uniform speed and exerts a constant tension on the web. This wheel is mounted in a bracket 61 se cured to the top of the frame. It carries a gearelement 62 to which the impulse of rotation is applied by a worm 63 driven by gearing 64 65, 66, 67 ,68, 69, and a. worm 70, the latter being on an upright shaft 71 to which is keyed a gear 72 meshing with the gear 88 previously described. Thus the takeup is driven in synchronism with the loom at a rate which, by adjustment of the gear train, may be made exactly proportional to the rate of weaving.

Between adjacent heddles are arranged the fixed guide bars 7 3 which are fastened to the rings 54 and 53 of the'upper frame by means of bolts 7 4, 7 5, and project down into the space between the earns 32 and 33, where their lower ends are connected to a ring 7 5 Said guide bars also have on their inner faces projections 76, 77 which collectively form a dovetail guideway or track surrounding the axis of the loom, on which the shuttles travel. One of the guides is shown in detail in 'Fig. 5, and in association with the shuttle, heddles, and take-ups in. Fig. 3. The guides have channels 731 running lengthwise ifitheir opposite sides, which open into the spaces between adjacent guides, and in which travel longitudinal ribs 341 on theopposite sides of the heddles or slides.

An important detail of the machine, in which one of the features of my invention resides is the connecting ring 7 5 and the mode in which the guide bars 73 are assov ciated with said ring. It is apparent from Fig. 1 that these bars extend to a considerable distance from their lower point of anchorage upon the rigid frame ring 53 into the space between the cams. 'Unless they were anchored in some efficient manner these projecting ends of the guides would be deflected or sprung aside'in consequence of the m earers severe side thrust applied to them through the slides or heddles, which are pressed against laterally by inclined 'cams, as fully descrlbed in the passage of this specification immediately following; said cams serving to shift the heddles endwise against conslderable resistance, and thereby exerting a substantial component of lateral force through the heddles against the guide bars.

ously mentioned completely surrounds the axis of the loom, lying in the annular space between the inner and outer cams, and 1s engaged with the lower ends of all of the guide bars 7 3. Said guide bars enter shallow grooves or notches 75 in the upper face of the ring, and in addition have dowel pins 75 entering sockets in the ring, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. The side walls of these notches fit closely against the sides of the bars, wherefore the notches and pins co-act in preventing deflection of the lower ends of the bar, and the sides of the notches further serve to prevent twisting of the bar. The notches still perform both these functions even in case the dowel pins should become loosened by the jarring of the loom and fall through the socket holes in the ring. Said ring is secured at two or more points to the adjacent guide bars by screws, which hold it in'p'lace and prevent it from falling away from the bars.

The sliding heddles serve the function of propelling the shuttles as well as of guiding the warp threads, and to that end each the warp thread and also supports an antifriction roll 7 9 bearing. on the edge of the cam-like base plate 80 of the shuttlef Alternate heddles bearon the upper edge of said plate and the intermediate heddles on the bottom edge thereof, as shown in the development view Fig. 13.

The latter view illustrates in full lines the groove 36' of theouter cam 32 and in dotted lines thegroove 37 of the inner cam 33. These grooves in the two. cams are similar, but oppositely arranged, so that each high point of one is opposite to alow point of the other, and the inclines connecting high and low points of the two cam grooves cross one another, in essentially the same manner, and with essentially the same effect, as

described in the Chernack patents above re- ,heddle has an inwardly directed tubular ;projection 78 which provides the eye for by dotted lines in Fig. .7. The ran 81 engages the upper surface of the cam groove and roll 82 the lower surface, these rolls being independent'of one another and separated suiiiciently toturn out of contact with one another. 'The two rolls constitute anti-friction means carried by the sliding heddle which may be in contact with bothsurfaces of the cam groove at the same time,

such means including two members capable of rotating independently of one another, and therefore being adapted to rotate in opposite directions and to make rolling contact with the cam surfaces wherewith they are respectively engaged.

, thus operate the heddles without backlash and without sliding friction.

--The projections 76 and 77 bars 73, which form the track for the shuttle, do not actually support the shuttles, but

instead the latter are supported wholly by the antifriction rolls 79 so that in effect the shuttles float clear of the track, and the latter merely serves'as a guide to determine the path of the shuttles. The track elements 76,

77 instead-of being dovetailed or inclinedas in the patents referred to are square, as

shown in Figs. 3 and 5 and the base plate of the shuttle is equipped with flanged gibs 83 embracing the track elements, as shown in Fig. '8. The latter figures also'show the floating relation of the shuttle to the track. Further explanation of the war take-up motion will now be given with re erence to Figs. 3 and 4 It will'be seen from these figures that the link of each take-up is pivoted to lugs 84 which are secured to the fixed ring 52 and that the link 51 is jointed by a pivot pin 85 at one end to the link 50 and by a pivot 86 at the other end to a head 87 which is fixed to the .adj a'eent heddle. At the knuckle of the links, that is the pivot 85 there is provided a roll 88 over which the.

warp thread passes. For practical convenience the links are made double,' that is each being composed of two flat bars placed parallel to one another, as appears from Fig. 4,

- T the roll 88 being placed between the duplicate linkages which form the one take-up. The warp thread in passing to each take-up extends back of .a-stud 89 and in front of a stud' 90,.said studs being fixed in the lugs 84, and thence between the. bars which form the link. 50, around the roll 88, and betweenthe two bars of the link .51 to the eye 78, whenceit passes directly ,to the weaving --point.' The object of the take-up is, of

"course, to keep the warp thread under uniform tensionas the heddles rise and descend. This obj ect' is accomplished by the mechanism. here described for the reason thatthe distance from the stud or pin 89 to the weaving point via the roll 88 and the eye 78 is always the same whatever may be the position of the heddle and the obliquity of the The cams may on the jguide line from its eye to the weaving point. The distance from the weaving point to the eye is of course least when the eye is in approximately mi dstroke, but in this position the eye by equivalent amounts. Thus, the stud 1s a fixed guiding point or ledge, about which thethread is bent, and the -link'51 is a take-up connectedto the heddle at one end,

while its opposite 'end'c'arries a thread guide (roll 88)] which is constrained by the link 50 to move in and'out from the weaving point, taking up and paying out the slack of-the warp thread. 7

I will now descrlbe themodification in the heddle construction and the associated warp thread take-up mechanism' illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12. In this modification the slides or heddlesIthemselves are essentially the same as those already described, and are identified by the same reference characters.

As before 34 and 35 represent adjacent heddles or slides, which areegtactly alike in construction and differ only" in position, 34 denoting the'slides which are elevatedand 35 those which are depressed. The new constructionembodied in this modification involves mainly two additional eyes 781 for warp threads, which are connected to each heddle The additional eyes connectedwith the heddle 34.; are formed as holes in the ends of rods 342 and 34-3 which rise from thetop of the heddle and are bent over approXimately in mid length. The-corresponding eyes of the heddle 35 are formed-similarly in'the ends of reds 352 and 353 having similar form and being similarly arranged with respect to the heddle 35. These rods are so arranged that the additional eyes 781 he upon opposite sides and at the same level vwith the eye 78 of the heddle,'which is 'formed, arranged, and located substantially as already described. The rods in which these eyes are formed are given the peculiar shape shown in order that their offset portions or bends 345 and 355, respectively, will not interfere with the upper ends of the guides 73 between the adjacent heddles. These rods may be described as extending upwardly in the spaces between the guides wherein the heddles are placed, and bent over on a bend of such radius that the down-' wardly extending parts of the rods extend approximately midway between the adjacent heddles- These bonds are at such a height that they lie slightly above the upper ends of the guides when the heddles are in their most depressed condition, asv indicated in Fig. 10 with respect to the rods on the heddle 35. Each additional eye lies farther away fronithe heddle to which it is connected than from the adjacent heddle, whereby all of the warp threads controlled by each heddle are arranged in alternation with the warp threads controlled by the ads j ace'nt heddles. Thus, referring to Fig. 11,

which shows the warp threads diagrannnatisides thereof and being enough longer than cally, thelines a, b and 0 represent thewarpr 7 threads controlled by the left hand hlddl'ei shown; d, e, and represent those controlled by the intermediate'heddle and 9, 7i, and 2" those controlled by the right hand heddle shown. Thus assuming that the middle heddle is depressed andthe other two are raised, then it .will be apparent that the warp threads Z, c, g and h are raised while (Z, c, and fare depressed; that is, that every other warp thread is raised while the intermediate'threads are depressed, which is the condition required for weaving.

'The downwardly extending portions of these rods are contained in longitudinal passages 7 32 in the upper ends of the guides and are exposed in slots 733 passing'through said guides from the outer to the inner the travel of the heddles to give free course for the warp-threads in all positions of the eyes 781. The ends of the rods are beveled as shown in Fig. 10 so as to push aside and pass by-the warp threads carried by the ad jacent rods, Without interference.

The improvement last described enables a much greater number of'warp threads to be woven, and thereby a structure of finer mesh to be produced, without increasing the size ofthe' loom; that is from two to three times as many warp threads maybe woven in a loom having the triple eye heddles as in a loom'of the same size having single eye heddles. This improvement makes possible the production of finer and more closely woven tubular fabrics and at a less expense than has heretofore been possible. Of course it is to be understood that this feature of the invention is not limited to "any particular number of additional eyes associated with the heddle; I have here shown with each heddle three eyes, for that is a convenient arrangement, and make heddles with two eyes or more than three, and the protection which I claim for this feature of the invention is intended to cover any construction in which the heeldle has two or more eyesarranged in alternation with the eyes of the adjacent heddles, arranged for circular weaving.

Essentially the same warp take-up mechanism as heretofore described is shown in I may :ueaaeac 502 carried by the adjacent link 51, as

shown in Fig. 1-2, whereby the adjacent guide rolls travel oppositely to one another." Each take-up motion thus carries three guide rolls 88, ora number of guide rolls equal to the number of eyes of the heddle. w

Each warp thread. may also control or operate astop motion of substantially the character, as shown in Fig. 9, where part of one such stop motion is shown and designatedby the reference characters used in Fig. 3.

A stop motion controlled by the breakage of the warp is here shown in part, but

is not described or claimed herein, as it forms the subject of a divisional specification containing matter divided from the present specification.

I have illustrated clutching device operableby the shipping in Fig. 14:, a form of lever 127 for connecting the powerdrive with the machine. This figure shows the loose pulley 43 and the clutch disk 44 upon the main shaft 42. The shipper lever is connected by means of a link or "connecting rod 198 (Fig. 2) with a bell crank having a hub v l99 which turns upon a fixed stand 200 and having also an arm 201 with a cam projection 202. The latter bears on a lever 203 which is pivoted on a fixed pivot 204; and engages a sleeve 205 which slides loosely on the shaft 42 in a well known manner. This sleeve is connected by means of links 206 bearingagainst an abutment 209' which is a collar loose on the shaft but limited as to its movement away from. the pulley by an adjustable nut 210 which is threaded on the shaft. The adjacent faces of the pulley 43 and clutch disk 4a are provided with faces 211 of leather or other friction producing material. In the position shown in Fig. 14 the clutch is connected. I

I contemplate modifying in various ways f the mechanisms here shown, for example the take-up devices therefore I do. not limit my claim for protection to the precise forms and constructions here shown. In regard particularly to the warp take-up mechanisms'shown in Fig. 3, I do not'limit i myself to the links 50, or exclude the use of other means than such links for supportlie with levers 207 pivoted by pins 208 to the 'hub of the pulley and having short. arms ing'and guiding the rolls 88, or equivalent thread guides, in a manner such as to secure the main object sought.

It is of course to be understood that the descriptive language used in the foregoing to be limitations of the invention, butare used simply for convenience of description as applied to the particular constructions 7 shown, and are to be construed with a protection is sought in other applications-. The features which I consider to be my' original invention and which I desire to pro ters Patent is:

broader meaning than indicated by their literal definitions;,that is, so as to apply to any loom, and the parts thereof which have. essentially the cooperative relation and mode of operation here described, whether in the particular relation to the horizon here shown or not;

In the foregoing specification I have described the entire loom in order to explain all of the cohperating component parts of an organized practical machine, including therein certain constructions and 'features/ which are not my original invention, but are the inventions of other parties for which tect therein are particularly pointedout in the following claims.

What I claim 1. In a circular loom the combination with a plurality of parallel guides arranged concentrically about an axis, sliding heddles mounted between and in engagement with said guides, cylindrical cams concentrically arranged with an annular space between them, for operating said heddles, the heddles and the ends of said slides extending into suchannular space, and a ring engaged with the inner ends of said guides, said ring having notches or recesses into which the ends of said guides pass, and by which such ends are restrained from deflection.

2. A circular loom comprising a rigid frame, concentricall arranged rotatable cams having an annu ar space between them, guide bars mounted'on said frame projectin into such annular space, heddles engaged and guided by said bars and also engaged for operation by said. cams, and a steadying ring'within such annular space adjacent to the ends of said bars,-having notches receiving said bars and retaining the latter from deflection: v

3. In a circular'loom, a plurality of reciprocatory heddles or' slides, means for movingadjacent heddles back and forth in relatively opposite directions, and an ad-"" iding eye carried by each ditional thread I heddle at the side thereof towardifthe adi horizontal, and

' heddle guiding means. V

8. In a circular loom the combination of jacent heddle so arranged that each such ad 'ditional eye is between the threads controlled by the additional eye-(if the, adjacent heddle and by the heddle itself 4. In a circular loom, a'plurality of reciprocatory heddles, means for moving said i heddles in such'inanner that adjacent heddles always travel oppositely to one another, each heddle having a plurality of warp: guid'- ing eyes so arranged that each warp thread controlled by one heddle is between the warp beyond the end of the heddle-when the latter is in the position nearest to such ,end

of the guide, to form a backwardly-pro'jecting 'part, such backwardly rojecting part having an eye'and the hedd eitself having such backwardly projecting part lies bean eye, and the rod-being so disposed that 1 tween-the heddle carrying the rod. and the adj acentheddle, and its eye is, between the adjacentyheddle and the eye" carried by" the similar rod which is "jacentd'iedd'le anddesire to secure by Let-'- .havingjguidewaysbetween"them, a heddle or sli moun'ted upon said ad- 6f.' -In 3a circular loom, a series of guides ried by eachiheddleextendingto either side A, thereof having their ends lyinginsuch channels'and being oflset between-their ends in the direction of travel of the heddles a distance siiflicient to 'clearltheeiid of the guide,

that portion of each ofs aidrods so contained in said'channel having an eye for guiding a warp thread andfbenig' arranged so that each of said-eyes passes between the adjacent heddle and the eye of the rod carried by such adj acent heddle.

7 In a'circul'ar loom, a plurality of oppo- 'sitely reciprocating,v heddles or slides arranged in a circular series to travel in parallel paths, each heddle having eye, a rod mounted upon each heddle having an eye in its extremity, the rods ofadjacent heddles crossing one another whereby each of the eyes associated with either heddle is between two eyes associated with the adjacent heddle, and said rods being offset between their ends the direction of movement of the heddles whereby to clear the warp threads and the v a fixed guide withheddles on each side of said guide, each of said heddles having a warp receiving eye, the guide having a passage intermediate the heddles through which warp threads may pass to the weaving point, and rods secured to each heddle having their ends contained in such passage and bein linkages passin -.-11. In a circular loom in combination with heddles each having a plurality of eyes 'arofi'set between their ends to clear the en of the guide each of said rods having in such end a warp receiving eye which is located between the eye of the other heddle and the eye of the rod carried by said other heddle. p

' 9. In a circular loom, a plurality of oppositely reciprocating heddles and means for moving adjacent heddles oppositely to one another, each heddle having three or more eyes with parts carrying said eyes so constructed and arranged that each eye of each heddle is arranged between tw o eyes of ad-.

jacent heddle's.

10. In a circular loom .the'combination with reciprocating heddles each having a plurality of eyes for warp threads, the eyes of adjacent heddles being in alternating ar rangement and moving 1n relatively opposite directions, and warp thread take-up linkages associated with each heddle, each of said linkages comprising two links pivoted together and one of said links connected to the heddle and the other mounted upon a fixed pivot, a guide for the thread carried at the knuckle of each linkage, and brackets having thread guides mounted at each side of the knuckle, the brackets of adjacent one another.

ranged in alternation with one another, a warp thread take-up associated with each heddle, each take-up comprising a link pivoted on a fixed pivot and a second link piv oted to the first link and connected to the heddle, the first named link of each heddle having a bracket on the side thereof toward the link of the adjacent take-up, and the brackets thus extending being carried past one another.

12. A warp thread take-up for a circular loom having multiple eyed heddles comprising a series of arranged side by side to oscillate upon fixed pivots, brackets on each of said links extending toward the ad- 'jace'nt links, and the oppositely'extending brackets 0i: adjacent links. passing beyond one another, means carried by said brackets, a connecting each of the above described links with the adjacent heddle.

13. In a circular. loom a series of heddles' each having. a. thread-bearing eye and" reciprocativelymounted-to carry said eye back and forth across the plane of weaving, and

.a warp thread. take-up means comprising a link connected to each heddle and extending therefrom away from the weaving point, a support for the outer end of-the link arrangedjto coinpel suchi ends to. move toward and away from. weaving: point with the travel of the heddle,, a warp thread guide connected to said link and. moving there-.

with, and fixed guides -at'difi'erent heights with respect to the weaving plane and at different distances from the first named guide, the: warp thread in passing through the first named guide being. led across theinner side of the fixed guide which is more remote, and around the outer side. ofthe' is nearer, to theffirstciprocates, and two fixed guides between which the warp thread is led in passing to the first-named guide, said fixed guides being arranged to bend the warp thread alternately when the ,guide which is carried by the links is at the opposite extremities of its back and forth movement.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

JOSEPH A. KENNEDY. 

